AFC U23 Championship: Journey to Thailand 2020 begins

AFC – KUALA LUMPUR, The journey to the AFC U23 Championship Thailand 2020 Qualifiers has begun following the official draw ceremony at the AFC House on Wednesday.

The Draw divided the 44 participating teams into two zones of WEST (West + South + Central) with 24 teams, and EAST (East + ASEAN) with 20 teams.

Qatar will host Group A as they aim to make their third appearance in the AFC U23 Championship Finals. They will face Oman, Nepal and Afghanistan.

Group B host Bahrain will attempt qualifying for the Finals for the fourth time, as they go up against Palestine, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Islamic Republic of Iran, the host nation for Group C, will test their mettle against Iraq, Turkmenistan and Yemen.

Saudi Arabia, the 2013 runners-up, will be aiming to better their previous best result after failing to progress past the group stage in January. They host United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and Maldives in Group D.

Kuwait were among the first teams to participate in the first-ever AFC U23 Championship in 2013, and will bid to reach the Finals again when they face Jordan, Syria and Kyrgyz Republic in Group E.

Reigning champions and Group F hosts Uzbekistan will begin their title defence against Tajikistan, India and Pakistan in Group F.